Kelly joint marker



June 23, 1942. I J. H. HOWE KELLY JOINT MARKER Filed Aug. 7, 1940 Inventor Jab/1 H HUI/V6 5 //7?aTARY Patented June 23, 1942 KELLY JOINT MARKER John H. Howe, Kingsville, Tex., assignor of onehalf to Joe 0. Ryals, Aransas Pass, Tex.

Application August 7, 1940, Serial No. 351,679

1 Claim.

My invention relates to a marker for application to a Kelly joint prior to withdrawing the drill bit from the hole or pulling it part way from the bottom of the hole, for the purpose of marking the place on the Kelly joint relative to the rotary, so as to positively show exactly the amount that the bit can be relowered into the hole again to hit the bottom of the hole, and the primary object of my invention is to provide a simple and efficient arrangement of this character.

Other important objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent from a reading of the following description taken in connection with the appended drawing, wherein for purposes of illustration I have shown a preferred embodiment of my invention.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a general fragmentary sectional elevational view showing an embodiment of the invention in place on the Kelly joint of a drill rig.

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view showing the marker in place on the Kelly joint.

Figure 3 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view taken through Figure 2 just above the marker.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the numeral 5 generally designates the Kelly joint which extends through a square hole in the rotary 6 so that turning of the rotary will turn the Kelly joint and apply rotary motion to the drill bit 1 extending down through the well tubing 8 into the Well hole 9 whose bottom is designated by the numeral Ill. The numeral ll generally designates the conventional means for lifting the drill string, and the numeral lzgenerally designates the marker in accordance with the present invention.

The marker consists of two L-shaped frame sections l3 and I4, respectively, which are hinged together at one side as indicated by the numeral l5 and provided at the other side with ears l6 and I1, traversed by a clamping bolt l8 whereby theresulting frame conforms to the square sides of the Kelly joint 5 as illustrated in Figure 3, with enough clearance to permit relative movement between the frame and the Kelly joint. Secured to the approximate middle of the arms of each section I3, M are upwardly projecting spring fingers I9 which have the upper part thereof inwardly bowed as indicated by the numeral 2!] for spring tensioned, frictional engagement with the sides of the Kelly joint with the upper extremities of the fingers laterally outwardly curved as indicated by the numeral 2| to prevent the fingers from digging into the sides of the Kelly joint and preventing the desired freedom of action.

The marker I2 is placed on the Kelly joint above the rotary in such a position that when the drill string is lowered into the well to a point where the drill strikes the bottom IU of the hole 9, the marker l2 will be shoved by the rotary up along the Kelly point until a point is reached where there is no further relative movement between the Kelly point and the rotary. Then when the string is raised or withdrawn from the hole, the marker l2 stays in place on the Kelly joint by virtue of the frictional engagement of the spring fingers l9 and the frame sections with the sides of the Kelly joint, so that there is thereby provided an accurately positioned means which remains positioned until removed, to tell the driller how far the string can be let down in the hole again before the lower end of the bit will strike the bottom of the hole. This marking means makes it unnecessary to place reliance on make-shift methods of marking relative to the rotary 6, such as the application of grease, chalk, or other such inadequate means to the Kelly joint, which are diificult to discern and are subject to easy obliteration.

Although I have shown and described herein a preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that I do not wish to limit the application of my invention thereto except as may be required by the scope of the subjoined claim.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

A marker for application to an element of an oil well drill string to mark the position of said element relative to the drill rig rotary with the drill bit engaging the bottom of the drill hole, said marker comprising a member positioned on said element above the rotary and engageable with the top of the rotary, said member including a pair of sections each of angle shape, hinge means connecting the two sections together at one end, ears extending outwardly from the other ends of the sections, a bolt passing through the ears for holding the sections together with the sections loosely fitting around the element, the lower edges of the sections being flat to engage the top of the rotary and spring fingers having their lower ends connected with the outer faces of the member, with the upper portions of the fingers bowed inwardly and resiliently engage the element, a finger being placed on each of the four sides of the member.

JOHN H. HOWE. 

